


Trying to Be Better

by nastag



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Also he's bad at cooking, Gen, I cannot say it enough, Liberal use of Italics, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, luther is a dick, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 16:44:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18944881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nastag/pseuds/nastag
Summary: Luther isn't always a good person, and he's caused a lot of harm. He doesn't think a single member of his family trusts him. But, he's trying to be better. Really, he is.orLuther means well (but is a dick anyway), and Klaus is a prickly porcupine (and rightfully so).





	Trying to Be Better

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've ever written! Actually, the first work of fiction I've ever completed, too. Apologies for grammar mistakes, weird formatting, awkward writing, etc. Please be nice.
> 
> CW: homophobic undertones and mentions of canon child abuse. Also, Luther is a dick.

Luther walks into the kitchen hungry, only to immediately scrunch his face up in disgust, appetite lost. Klaus is sitting on a countertop, eating something vaguely crumbly, half of which has ended up on his face and the other half on the _skirt_ he’s wearing.

Luther immediately feels bad. He's going out more often, leaving the house. He's learning new words like "Internalized Homophobia" and "Toxic Masculinity". He's trying to be better, trying to be less of a bully. He doesn't hide his scrutiny quickly enough though, because Klaus adopts his trademark shit eating grin, feet kicking at the cupboards.

"Hey Luther, like my new dress?" He leers, every word dripping with poison, "I think it really shows off my _assets_ ,"

Klaus twirls his skirt in the hand not holding one of Mom's cookies, and he doesn't even have the _decency_ to _close his legs_. Couldn't he at least have worn something a little longer? Luther doesn't want to see that much of any man, let alone his brother.

Luther moves to get the milk out of the fridge and the oatmeal out of the cupboard. He decides not to say anything. Recently, it seems like he's more likely to say the wrong thing than not, but he's _trying_ to be _better_ now.

"What, not gonna pull my pigtails? Call me girly?" Klaus tries to provoke him. There's a strange glint in his eyes that Luther can't place. The drumming of his feet grows incrimently louder, "Not gonna run and tell Daddy?"

Luther slams a pot down on the stove with a little too much force, gratings jumping and metal denting. He takes a deep breath and counts to five before he says, as calmly as he can: "Maybe if you'd dressed a little more normal, he wouldn't have been so hard on you."

He means well, he just wants to say that maybe Klaus shouldn't have provoked Dad on purpose so much, but the glint is still in his eyes. Clearly this is one of those Wrong Things that Luther keeps saying.

"And what would dear old Dad say about the way you're dressed, huh?"

Luther looks down at himself. Pajamas, at 12pm on a Wednesday. No, Dad wouldn't have been proud of him, but he's just woken up and it's comfortable _dammit_. He's a grown man, he can wear what he wants. He's about to retaliate to say that at least it's not the pink, flurry monstrosity that Klaus crawled into today, before he realizes how hypocritical that is. He heats the milk for the oatmeal instead. He's learning.

Klaus dusts the crumbs off his hands loudly and hops off the countertop with one final _BANG_ to the boards beneath his feet. Luther is momentarily grateful for the silence Klaus leaves in his wake. Then, he realizes that Klaus is walking away from him.

"Hey! Wait!" Luther calls after him, and Klaus spins on his heels, skirt fluttering with more emotion than Luther can see on his face. His lips are turned down, and the glint in his eyes is definitely somewhere along the lines of 'hatred' and 'resentment', but his face betrays nothing more. Luther is shocked by how hurt he feels.

"I--" He starts, but he's not good at these things. Not good at apologizing. Not good at admitting he's wrong. But he's _trying to be better, really_.

"I'm sorry," He tries again. He can feel himself frowning, but he marches on, "I'm sorry for making fun of your clothes. And for being mean to you when we were kids. I'm sorry for not protecting you from _him_."

Klaus is bouncing on the heels of his feet, eyes darting all around the room before they settle in the distance over Luther's shoulder.

"You're your own person, you can wear what you want."

"Gee, thanks for your permission, Dad." Klaus sneers, "Careful, before all your good intentions boil over."

Luther is lost for a moment, before he follows Klaus's gaze to the overflowing pot of milk on the stove.

"Crap!" He yells, and runs to turn off the heat. He sets the pot in the sink and gets a cloth to clean up his mess. Klaus uses the distraction to flounce out of the room, almost sprinting to get away. Luther feels like this is a metaphor. He tries to do the right thing, but he just makes a things worse and everyone leaves him anyways.

However, as he watches the milky bubbles in the sink reside, he reconsiders.

The pun, at least, is a win.

~~~

At the next family meeting, Klaus sits next to him on the couch. _Voluntarily_.

Luther compliments his shirt. It's a purple crop top brimming with sequence, but he finds that he likes it anyway.

Luther isn't always a good person, and he's caused a lot of harm. He doesn't think a single member of his family trusts him, not even pogo (not even mom).

He's trying to be better, though. He's been trying for a while now, and he's got a feeling that he's got a longer while yet, but he's _trying_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I mentioned this at the beginning, but this is my first fanfic. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please be nice! Or at least nicer than Luther.
> 
> I think Luther has finally watched Bambi and entered the "If you've got nothing nice to say, say nothing at all." school of thought.  
> I wish I'd written more about Klaus's dress, I did intend for it to have personality of it's own, but this is a pretty short fic and I don't even know how to go about doing it justice :p  
> I also wish I'd written more Klaus in general, and done _him_ justice, but ce la vie.


End file.
